Shanghai Yangtze River Delta International Cultural Industries Expo

The Shanghai Yangtze River Delta International Cultural Industries Expo (ICIE) is jointly initiated by the Publicity Departments of the Party Committees of Shanghai, Jiangsu, Zhejiang, and Anhui—comprising one municipality and three provinces—with the aim of promoting high-quality integrated development of the cultural industries in the Yangtze River Delta region. Since its inception in 2018, the expo has been successfully held for multiple editions, becoming one of the largest and most content-rich cultural events in the Yangtze River Delta, as well as an important national platform for showcasing and trading cultural products and services.

(1) Comprehensive Development Segment

It is primarily composed of exhibition delegations from Shanghai, Jiangsu, Zhejiang, and Anhui, as well as delegations from other provinces and municipalities across China, along with leading enterprises based in Shanghai. Serving as a platform to showcase regional collaboration and industrial development achievements, this section will highlight regional cultural brands, major industrial breakthroughs, and exemplary best practices, covering areas such as film and television production, art trading, gaming and esports, performing arts, online culture, creative design, cultural tourism, and cultural sports.

（II）Special Themed Exhibitions

It comprises the Yangtze River Delta Cultural and Creative Products Exhibition, the Cultural Export Special Exhibition, the Cultural-Tourism Integration Special Exhibition, the Illustration and Creative Trading Exhibition, and the AI + Culture Trading Exhibition.

1. Yangtze River Delta Cultural and Creative Products Exhibition. Seamlessly integrating cultural and creative design with the aesthetics of everyday life, this exhibition creates an engaging, interactive space where visitors can explore, shop, and experience creativity. It features four core thematic zones: museum-inspired cultural products, event‑related cultural creations, time-honored brand innovations, and lifestyle‑oriented cultural offerings.

Museum Cultural and Creative Products Zone:This zone will prominently feature derivative products, digital cultural creations, and co-branded designs from key national and provincial museums across the Yangtze River Delta and throughout China, organized around three main themes: First, historical and cultural museums, which will showcase revitalized cultural relics, archaeological blind boxes, digital artifact collections, and immersive cultural experience offerings centered on core IPs such as ancient civilizations, bronze-age myths, and the origins of writing. Second, red-themed museums, focusing on Party history, revolutionary history, memorial halls dedicated to notable figures, and regional brands of red culture, with exhibits highlighting innovative adaptations of revolutionary spirit IPs, immersive experiential products, and benchmark cases of commercialized red-themed cultural and creative offerings. Third, industry-specific museums, covering sectors such as industrial manufacturing, transportation, science and technology, nature, and the arts.

Sports Event Cultural & Creative Zone:This zone brings together renowned domestic and international sports events, esports tournaments, and emerging sports event IPs, showcasing official event‑related merchandise, collaborative trendy toys, limited‑edition peripherals, digital collectibles, and other cultural‑creative products. It creates a consumer experience that seamlessly integrates event culture with creative design, while connecting IP holders and service providers to help event organizers transition from “souvenir‑driven” offerings to “IP‑based cultural‑creative products.” This approach addresses the longstanding challenges of delayed derivative‑product development and limited product variety, while simultaneously leveraging event‑generated traffic to drive further value creation.

Time-Honored Brands Cultural & Creative Zone:Bringing together representative Chinese time-honored brands from the Yangtze River Delta and across the country, this zone centers on the “national trend” revival, showcasing cross-border collaborative limited-edition collections, national-trend cultural and creative products, seasonal souvenirs, retro‑style trendy items, and digital‑culture derivatives. Through immersive experiential settings and live performances, it draws large crowds and drives strong sales conversions for time-honored brand–themed cultural and creative offerings.

2. Cultural Overseas Expansion Thematic Exhibition.Focusing on the “new three pillars” of online literature, web series, and online games, this exhibition will establish China’s first industry service platform dedicated to providing end-to-end support for cultural enterprises expanding internationally. The thematic exhibition will adopt a “one conference, one exhibition, one event” framework, delivering triple core value: First, through a dedicated summit, it will offer one-stop empowerment to cultural enterprises—particularly those that have yet to venture overseas or are just beginning their international journey—by providing policy briefings, sharing best practices, facilitating channel connections, and offering tailored support, thereby helping them navigate overseas policies, learn from successful case studies, access professional resources, mitigate common risks, lower barriers to entry, and accelerate their expansion into global markets. Second, the exhibition will showcase Shanghai’s achievements in innovative development of cultural trade, bringing together leading companies and flagship projects that have achieved notable success in overseas markets. Third, business-matching events will create a precise matchmaking platform connecting overseas IP holders, investors, digital platforms, and outbound enterprises with relevant service providers.

3. Themed Exhibition on Cultural and Tourism Integration.Focusing on the theme of “Stimulating Vitality in Cultural and Tourism Consumption and Promoting Destination Collaboration,” this exhibition is market‑driven, establishing a supply‑and‑demand matchmaking platform for the cultural and tourism industry that spans the Yangtze River Delta and connects across the nation. On one hand, it provides exhibitors—ranging from developers of new integrated complexes to operators upgrading existing scenic areas, revitalizing intangible cultural heritage, and creating immersive experiences—with opportunities to showcase their offerings and engage in meaningful exchanges. It highlights premium cultural and tourism destinations, cultural heritage sites, themed towns, resort areas, and more, helping to amplify brand visibility, attract private capital, and facilitate project implementation. On the other hand, it invites upstream and downstream service providers—including planning and design firms, digital technology companies, entertainment content producers, equipment manufacturers, marketing agencies, and investment and financial institutions—to participate, thereby fostering a complete industrial ecosystem and enabling a two‑way alignment: projects find high‑quality services, while service providers discover promising opportunities. Leveraging resources such as the Shanghai Municipal Office of Cooperation and Exchange, Shanghai‑based chambers of commerce, provincial publicity departments, and the China International Cultural Industries Fair database, the event actively engages partner regions and diverse cultural and tourism entities. Complementary activities include destination promotion sessions, project investment summits, and investment‑financing matchmaking events, effectively advancing cross‑regional cooperation and driving consumer engagement and conversion.

4. Illustration Creative Trading Exhibition.Illustration art serves as the “foundational visual language” and “creative origin” of the cultural and creative industries, bridging sectors such as gaming, animation, film and television, design, cultural tourism, and consumer goods, and demonstrating exceptional cross‑industry synergy. To further unlock the industrial value of illustration art, this year’s Cultural Expo will build on the success of the Shanghai International Illustration Art Festival by launching a dedicated illustration‑industry trading exhibition. This initiative will focus on B‑to‑B commercial applications, fostering deep connections between illustrators and brand owners, manufacturers, cultural‑tourism projects, retail channels, and other industry stakeholders. By leveraging a dual‑track approach—“C‑to‑C traffic generation and B‑to‑B conversion”—the expo aims to seamlessly integrate illustration from “artwork” to “productive capacity” across the entire value chain.

5. AI + Culture Trading Exhibition.Artificial intelligence has evolved beyond a mere auxiliary tool, propelling the cultural industries into a new era of “algorithm‑driven creation.” The Yangtze River Delta Cultural Expo will host a specialized AI showcase, spotlighting technologies and products in areas such as AI‑powered marketing, virtual digital humans, immersive experiences, and intelligent content production. In addition, the expo will stage a series of events, including an “AI‑Empowered Cultural Industries Summit,” bringing together upstream and downstream resources across the AI ecosystem. Coupled with curated exhibitions and targeted business‑matching activities, the event will establish China’s first specialized trading platform focused on facilitating supply‑and‑demand alignment between AI technologies and the cultural industries.

Shanghai Yangtze River Delta International Cultural Industries Expo tickets are e-tickets. Mainland China visitors must complete online pre-registration with real-name ID verification; overseas visitors must use passport verification; Hong Kong, Macao, and Taiwan visitors must use their travel permit. On site, verify entry with your ID card or by scanning the e-ticket QR code.